A grassroots guide to surviving the patriarchy
- Text by Miss Rosen
- Photography by A page from The New Woman’s Survival Catalog, 1973/2019. Courtesy Primary Information.

When The New Woman’s Survival Catalog launched in Christmas 1973, it took America by storm. A collection of alternative feminist cultural activity across the United States, it introduced a new way of tackling issues centred by the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Now, more than 45 years after it’s release, Primary Information is republishing a facsimile edition. The goal, according to authors Kirsten Grimstad and Susan Renne, is to remind us that the power to change the world begins in the local grassroots.
The original project began while Grimstad, a Barnard alumna, was pursuing her doctorate in 1971. While there, she began working on a scholarly bibliography of women’s studies for the newly opened Barnard College Women’s Centre. She sent a survey out to feminist activist organisations across the United States to fund out what was happening at the grassroots level, and connected with Renne, also a Barnard alumna.
“When Kirsten showed me the survey responses coming in, I was astonished at the explosion of local feminist activity across the country,” Renne says. “We could see the outline of an emerging women’s alternative culture. What else was out there? We had to find out, and we had to spread the word.”
In April 1973, they secured a publishing contract then set to work, embarking on a 12,000-mile cross country road trip over a period of two months. Traversing the continent, they met with local leaders organising everything from education, legal and financial resources, to health, parenting, and rape crisis centres, as well as arts groups, bookstores, and independent publishers.
“We adopted as our model the hugely successful Whole Earth Catalog,” Rennie says. “Through this DIY format, we could connect women with other women working on like-minded goals and values in a way that would juice up the movement as a whole by sharing their local newspapers, pamphlets, posters, books, products, and initiatives with a national audience. The women we met were on fire with the energy of personal and social transformation.”
Under a tight deadline, the authors worked to have the book released October that same year as the ultimate holiday gift for the women in your world. The New Woman’s Survival Catalog was widely received by the mainstream, even making New York Times bestsellers list. It spoke to a new generation of women eager to adopt a collectivist approach and work together in non-hierarchical ways.
Reflecting on the lessons of the past that apply to the challenges of our present day, Grimstad says: “Remember the adage about strength in numbers and stick together. Solidarity is a powerful tool for social change in a world of self-perpetuating patriarchal power.”
“Be a participant, not a bystander. By virtue of being born as a unique human being, each person has the capability of bringing something new into the world and of shaping the public space according to our dreams and ideals through our actions.”
Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims
Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Written by: Hannah Bentley

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification
Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.
Written by: Isaac Muk

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South
Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.
Written by: Miss Rosen

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind
Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.
Written by: Emma Garland

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Katie Goh